Claussen won’t seek another term as Barnstable register of probate

Wednesday

Nov 28, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 28, 2007 at 8:44 AM

Frederic Claussen has served as register of the Barnstable County Probate and Family Court since May of 1969, when he was appointed by then Gov. Frank Sargent to fill an unexpired term. But his first taste of politics came a lot earlier than that.

Craig Salters

Frederic Claussen has served as register of the Barnstable County Probate and Family Court since May of 1969, when he was appointed by then Gov. Frank Sargent to fill an unexpired term. But his first taste of politics came a lot earlier than that.

Now 70, Claussen recalls obtaining signatures for the nomination papers of his grandfather, Charles L. Gifford, during Gifford’s successful reelection campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives.

The year was 1946.

“Which was several years ago,” said Claussen with a wry smile.
But Claussen, who was elected in his own right in 1970 and reelected in 1972, 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996 and 2002, won’t be part of any more reelection campaigns, at least not for himself. He has decided that he will not be a candidate for the office come November of 2008.

“I’ve given a lot of thought to this,” said Claussen, a Cotuit Republican.

One of the reasons behind Claussen’s decision is financial. By next year, he said, he will have reached the maximum in terms of his pension benefits, which are 80 percent of an individual’s three highest salary years. Currently, Claussen earns about $110,000, which he said makes him one of the highest paid elected officials on the Cape.

While Claussen could qualify for his maximum benefits by working just one day in 2008, he said that isn’t the way he does business.

“My intention is to fill out my term, which expires Dec. 31, 2008,” said Claussen.

And Claussen points with pride that, in nearly four decades as register of probate, he has never used his entire allotment of vacation days. In that same period, he said, he has used about six sick days and, even then, he didn’t want to.

“I had three eye operations and they ordered me not to come back to work,” said Claussen.

Another reason for his decision is that, by the end of his term, Claussen will be slightly more than one month away from his 72nd birthday.

“It’s time for a younger person,” he said.

And, while not necessarily age-related, Claussen acknowledged that he is not computer savvy in an increasingly technological world.

Claussen’s third and final reason also deals with the calendar in that, by the end of his term, he will be five months shy of 40 years in office, a fact Claussen sees as a milestone.

But Claussen isn’t really the retiring type. In fact, he said, the tipping point for his decision came when he formulated a game plan for what to do next. That plan includes joining a real estate office in Cotuit and offering consulting services for particularly thorny probate cases.

Once retired, Claussen might find himself visiting the beach during the summer or going to the health club a bit more often, but he doesn’t play golf and his idea of travel is a once-a-month trip to Boston for lunch at Durgin Park or the Harvard Club of Boston. A Harvard graduate, Claussen prepped at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham and earned his law degree from Boston University.

Claussen said the job has changed much since he first came on board in 1969. At first, he said, the court was only open one day a week but got busier and busier until, in the 1980s, he spent much of his time as a sessions clerk, a job Claussen likens to that of a conductor. After 1990, that role changed again as assistants took on the court duties and Claussen found himself fielding technical or legal questions.

“I adapted my role to whatever was needed at the time,” he said.

Asked about accomplishments, Claussen recalled the late Phil Rollins, the longtime district attorney for the Cape and Islands, and said that, like Rollins, he seeks to leave his office better than he found it.

“I’m very proud of the fact that, whoever my successor is, I’m leaving behind an excellent staff,” Claussen said. “I want to see that my successor comes in and finds the best and most professional staff, and I think he or she will.”

No endorsement
Claussen did not offer an endorsement of any successor but expressed a hope that the next register be a lawyer.

“The last five registers have been lawyers and three have become judges,” he said. “I think a precedent has been set, a tradition of excellence that hopefully will continue.”

The Democrats, he said, could field a number of strong candidates, including Chatham Town Moderator Bill Litchfield; 1st Barnstable District State Rep. Cleon Turner, D-Dennis; and Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket State Rep. Eric Turkington, D-Falmouth.

“I’m not endorsing them but those are names who would be serious contenders,” Claussen said.

Claussen’s comment drew a polite “no thank you” from two of those mentioned and a possible “yes” from the third.

Reached for comment Monday, Turkington said that he thinks highly of Claussen, a longtime friend, and is taking the suggestion seriously. That said, he pointed out that Claussen will be on the job for all of 2008.

“I am considering it but there is nothing pressing about it,” Turkington said.

Turner took the remark as a compliment but the second-term representative said he is not planning a run for that office. “It was nice of him to say that but, actually, I’m kind of happy with where I am and what I’m doing now,” Turner said.

A former Chatham selectman, Litchfield also declined. “It’s very gracious of Fred to mention my name but I have no interest in running,” said Litchfield, who added his best wishes for Claussen’s eventual retirement and praise for his years of public service.

Among other possible candidates, Anastasia Welsh Perrino of South Dennis, an assistant register of probate, has sent out a press release announcing a campaign kickoff event Dec. 3.

Priscilla J. Young, who lost to Claussen in the 2002 election, is also reportedly going to seek the office again.

Claussen said, throughout the ebb and flow of public life, he has used his sense of humor to keep perspective. For instance, he recently fielded a phone call asking him if he were a “lame duck.” No, he responded, since a lame duck is someone who recently lost an election and that’s not the case.

The caller than asked if Claussen’s status is that of “has been,” to which Claussen responded that it most certainly is not.

“If you want to know what I am, it’s a ‘won’t be’,” he finally told the caller.